The upcoming biopic will center on the time the beloved star spent in Tennessee in 1968, recording her acclaimed album 'Dusty in Memphis'.
- September 7, 2018
AceShowbiz - Gemma Arterton has been cast as singer Dusty Springfield in a new biopic.
The "Quantum of Solace" actress will star in "So Much Love", which will centre on the time the beloved star spent in Tennessee in 1968, recording her acclaimed album Dusty in Memphis.
Phyllis Nagy, who has written the screenplay, will make her feature directorial debut on the project, which will reunite her with producers Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley, who worked with the screenwriter on 2015's "Carol" and 2005's TV movie "Mrs. Harris", which she also directed.
Arterton has also worked with Karlsen and Woolley in the past, appearing in the films Their Finest and Byzantium, produced under their Number 9 Films banner.
"I have been an admirer of Dusty Springfield since I was a teenager - her effortless husky voice, the way she conveyed emotion through music, how she helped bring Motown to the U.K.," Arterton says. "She was generous, witty, mercurial, shy, extrovert and a true English eccentric (sic). I simply cannot wait to play her."
"Dusty Springfield has long been a hero of mine - an innovative, brilliant artist and a complex, contradictory woman," Nagy adds. "I can't wait to bring her to life on screen. Elizabeth and Stephen are inspiring producers who advocate fiercely for their filmmakers' visions. And to collaborate with an artist of Gemma's caliber - she's an amazing talent - is a writer-director's dream come true."
The producers are also working with bosses at Universal Music on the soundtrack.
"Stephen Woolley and I are proud to follow 'Carol'... with 'So Much Love', a story that places a woman at its centre, and to be reuniting with two great female talents behind and in front of the camera, Phyllis Nagy and Gemma Arterton," Karlsen says.
